2017-18 Carolina Hurricanes Predictions and Futures Odds Picks

It has been a rough stretch for the Carolina Hurricanes - they haven't made
the playoffs since 2009. Struggling for that long gives you opportunities
to add young players, though, and this is now a team that has a very nice
young core. Combine that with what has been a very strong offseason, and
it's easy to believe that this team is moving in the right direction. They
still have a lot of work to do, and there will still be bumps, but this is
a better team now than they were last year, and they will only improve with
time.

The Hurricanes were one of several teams with glaring goaltender needs, and
they wasted no time addressing them. Scott Darling was a pending free
agent, and the Blackhawks weren't going to pay him, so Carolina traded a
draft pick for his rights and then signed him to a four-year deal. He has
never been a starting goalie, but his numbers have been strong in relief,
and he had 18 wins in 28 starts last year, so it's not like he's been a
part-time player. If he can make the transition to No. 1 guy like Cam
Talbot or Martin Jones have in similar situations then Carolina will be in
strong shape. And they need the help - Cam Ward and backup Eddie Lack, who
left for Calgary, ranked just 26th in the league in save percentage, and
that really hurt the team.

Darling wasn't the last addition through trade - or the last addition from
the Blackhawks. In two separate deals with Las Vegas they added defenseman
Trevor van Riemsdyk and center Marcus Kruger for draft picks. Both guys
were with Chicago last year - van Riemsdyk was taken in the expansion
draft, and Kruger was traded to Vegas two days before he was sent to
Carolina. All three players from Chicago have won Cups, so they bring
valuable experience.

The team also dipped into their own past for more veteran experience,
bringing back Justin Williams, who will turn 36 before the season starts,
on a two-year deal. Williams won a Cup in Carolina in 2006, during his five
years with the team, and then went on to win two more with the Kings. He
was MVP of the last Cup run. Last year he had 48 points in 80 games for
Washington, so he still can make an offensive impact - though leadership is
a bigger part of his role here.

Carolina had only the 12th pick in the draft this year. They did well -
center Martin Necas of the Czech Republic has big upside and could
potentially even make the league this year.

Carolina Hurricanes NHL Outlook

The team is short on truly established offensive threats right now. Jeff
Skinner had a very impressive 37-goal season, and Sebastian Aho, who is
only 20, had 24 goals. Everyone else, though, had less than 20. Williams
and Kruger will have an impact, and the team will be hoping for serious
progress from young guys like 22-year-olds Teuvo Teravainen and Elias
Lindholm and 24-year-old Victor Rask. They could use another top two center
to make it all work, though. Luckily, they have a total embarrassment of
good young defensemen that they could draw from in a trade to get what they
need. Noah Hanifin is already elite at 20, Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin
have both been excellent, and both have big new deals to show for it. And
Justin Faulk is a top four guy as well. And then they have a couple of
other elite young prospects in the pipeline - 21-year-old Haydn Fleury, and
19-year-old Jake Bean. Bean plays his junior hockey three miles from my
house, so I have seen him plenty and he is very impressive.

Combine all the young talent we have already talked about with a couple
other guys coming along, and you have a team that could really take off in
a year or two. Of course, young players alone don't guarantee success - ask
Edmonton in the pre-McDavid days.

Carolina Hurricanes Schedule

The team has an absolutely brutal October. Nine of their 10 opponents are
likely playoff squads, and the 10th, Winnipeg, won't be terrible. We will
learn a whole lot about this squad after that stretch of games. For their
sake we can hope they don't win up falling into a hole before things have
even really gotten started.

Carolina Hurricanes NHL Futures Odds

Bovada
has Carolina at +6600 to win the Stanley Cup, which places them ahead of
just six teams. BetOnline
has them at +2500 to win the Eastern Conference, which places them 13th -
one spot lower than they finished last year. They are tied with
Philadelphia as the second longest shot on the board to win the
Metropolitan Division at +1400. Only New Jersey at +2500 is at a longer
price. The season win total is set at 41.5, which is a nice improvement
over their 36 wins last year.

2017-18 Carolina Hurricanes Predictions

I like the direction of the team and I like the moves they have made. If
they were a stock I would be buying. The season win total is pretty
aggressive, though, so there is sadly no value in playing it. I don't think
they will be a playoff team yet, but they will be close, and they are going
to be competitive. They are really building something here.

Free Play from Doc's Sports.
Take #231 Minnesota Golden
Gophers +6.5 over Georgia
Tech Yellow Jackets
(5:15p.m., Wednesday,
December 26) The Paul Johnson
era will come to an end after
this game and I do not think
he will go out with a blowout
victory. Generally team can
fare well against the option
when they have a month to
prepare for it and that will
be the case with the Golden
Gophers. Minnesota is coming
off their best game of the
season last time out beating
Wisconsin and getting back
the ax for the first time in
well over a decade. Minnesota
has covered 5 straight
nonconference games. Georgia
Tech is 1-4 ATS in their last
5 nonconference games. Take
the points in this game. Do
not miss out on Doc's Sports
Weekend card featuring picks
in basketball, hockey, &
football. Bowl Game of the
Year is coming in late
December and now is the time
to jump on board and let Doc
close out this holiday season
with a bang.Read MoreRead Less

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